A Tale of Survival: Lily Potter
by MelGraceMalfoy
Summary: What if, like her son, Lily Potter had survived the killing curse that night? How different would things be? And how will it change the outcome of the war? Rated T to be cautious.
1. Prologue

James had been a beacon of hope during the time they were practically imprisoned in their own home. Like always, he tried to cheer the atmosphere of the house, warm it with his silly pranks and ridiculous jokes. It was working for Harry, so far. The messy haired baby was giggling madly, reaching his chubby arms up to pop the multicolored bubbles his father had conjured, using his wand.

But Lily felt uneasy. Something felt off about this particular evening, as if a life changing event was to happen. And it didn't feel like a good thing. Moments later, she was proved correct when the gates to their home banged open, a cloaked figure approaching the door.

Her whole world felt hazy as she gathered Harry in her arms and flew upstairs into her baby's nursery. Tears streaming down her eyes and with nothing but venom for Peter Pettigrew who had betrayed them, she put Harry in his cot and with a pocket knife, drew the rune _'Sowilo'_ on his forehead. Harry screamed, shrieked and flailed around, but it needed to be done. Sowilo was the rune for power and protection, the protection being fueled by a person dying for another.

With some minor wandless magic, Lily stopped the blood from pouring from the wound. Gathering her little boy in her arms, she soothed him for what might be the last time. Pressing a kiss to his scarred forehead, she whispered prayers.

"Harry, mama loves you, dada loves you. Harry, be safe. Be strong."

Reluctantly, she put her child back in his crib. Harry, his face tearstained and red, stared at her.

"Pa'foo?" he cocked his head curiously.

"Padfoot." Lily nodded tearily, handing the baby his stuffed dog that was resting on a shelf.

The child giggled happily, unaware of the monster that was currently making its way up the stairs, planning their demise.

The stairs creaking informed Lily that James was dead. Her body wracked with sobs as, in a moment of madness, she grabbed the mug she had been drinking tea from earlier and threw it at the wall.

 _"James is dead, I'll be dead, Harry'll ... No! Harry won't die! My baby won't die! I won't let that selfish, horrible monster kill my baby boy!"_

Lily sniffled and wiped her tears with her sleeve. She plucked up what was left of her Gryffindor courage and stood straight in front of Harry's crib. The nursery door blasted open right then, and in stepped a snake faced, black cloaked monster.

"No! Not Harry! Please not Harry! I beg you, not Harry! Take me instead!" Lily begged, her hands gripping the wood of the crib.

The monster laughed coldly.

"Stand aside you silly girl and maybe I'll spare your life."

"No! Not my baby!" Lily wept.

"Then so be it. Avada Kedavra!" he cried.

Lily squeezed her eyes shut, her thoughts centering on how painfully she would kill Dumbledore if he put Harry with Vernon and Petunia. The green light hit her body and she fell down to the ground. But the curse had an after effect, something never heard before. On the palm of her left hand, where the curse had hit, was a bleeding, red lightning bolt scar, similar to rune she'd drawn on her son's forehead, earlier. But the Dark Lord, too distracted with his new prey, didn't notice that.

Voldemort laughed coldly and once again raised his yew wand, this time centering on the black haired, emerald eyed baby in the crib.

"So this is the child destined to defeat me ... No more! Now everyone shall know who is the most powerful, and they will bow at my feet. Any last words, Harry Potter?" the snake faced man laughed.

"Mama." Harry's green eyes centered on his mother's fallen body.

"Avada Kedavra!" Voldemort shouted for the third time, that night.

But the curse rebounded. Lily's love for her son was recognized by Mother Magic and a miracle happened. The curse, upon hitting Harry's forehead, rebounded onto the caster. Lord Voldemort was no more. The only thing left of him was a pile of black robes and a yew wand, both laying on the floor.

The killing curse triggered bleeding in Harry's scar. His face twisting in pain, the child let out a heart wrenching wail. Steps resounded on the floor and a harried looking man stumbled in, his grey eyes taking in the destroyed nursery.

"Harry." he breathed.

The baby, recognizing the voice, opened his misty emerald eyes and cried with joy: "Pa'foo!".

"It's all right, Harry, I'm here."

Sirius Black hurried from the doorway and reached into his godsons crib, scooping the messy haired child from it. Just then, there was moan from the floor. Sirius' head whipped to the floor, where he saw Lily Potter wipe her bloodied right hand on her sea green sweater and struggle to get up.

"Lily! Lily! You amazing witch! You're alive!" Sirius cried.

Lily shook her head and blinked up at Sirius.

"Who's Lily?"

* * *

 _ **AN: I am so evil, it has no boundaries *cackles in a high voice*!**_


	2. The World Knows

**_AN: Frankly, I was a bit surprised at the support I got for the first chapter, so here is another one. Your evil overlord has decided to grace you with another chapter!_**

* * *

 _Crack!_

On the morning of November 1st, 1981, a well worn Sirius Black apparated in front of the cottage that held so many memories for him. It had housed his best friend, James Potter and his lovely wife, Lily. _Lily_. The woman he thought as his sister, the mother of his godson and one of his greatest friends ... she didn't even remember her own name!

Sirius shuddered as he remembered running into the cottage last night, falling to his knees at his best friend's corpse, practically losing all hope. But even in the meanest of times, Harry never failed to bring it back up. Sirius had never been so happy in his life to hear a baby scream. He didn't know how he ran into the nursery, his eyes catching sight of Harry. And then he saw nothing else. Harry was alive. Harry was alive. Harry was alive. The mantra kept repeating in his head as he lifted his godson into his arms, reveling in his warmth.

And then, something else happened. Lily stirred. As far as Sirius was aware, the dead weren't supposed to reawaken, unless they were inferi, and he was pretty sure Lily wasn't an inferi. Hope had gathered in his chest as he saw those familiar green eyes, the same ones she'd given to her son, reopen. He'd nearly fainted in joy. But what happened the next couple of minutes had that joy immediately evaporating.

She had amnesia, according to the muggle healer he'd taken her to. He couldn't risk Saint Mungo's, as everyone was in a hullabaloo over Voldemort's death. No one knew what had happened to Harry and Lily, but him. He knew he would have to arrange wizarding medications for her some way, and he would, but it would have to wait.

First, he had to gather the remaining stuff in the cottage for later use. She would be devastated at their loss if she regained her memory. Somehow, it seemed like a faraway possibility, but Sirius clung on to that thought as he stepped over the rubble. His eyes scrunched up as he remembered James laying there on the floor, his hazel eyes that once twinkled with mischief, lifeless.

He'd arranged James' burial to be a private one. James' family owned a cemetery for themselves, where all their ancestors had been buried. It was in Cardiff, Wales, and though it was farther away than he would've liked, he intended to honor their traditions.

Reporters had gathered around the house, wildly photographing him as he swung open the door. They couldn't get in, he noted with grim satisfaction. He'd set up Black family wards on the rubble last night, as to prevent from the theft that was sure to happen. Rita Skeeter, that sly, backstabbing Daily Prophet reporter had tried to cling on to him as he made his way in, but the wards had blasted her back.

Currently, she was bleeding at the head, as result of hitting it on a stone. Right now, he could care less for Skeeter's bleeding. She was lucky it was only just that. James was dead. Harry was an orphan. Lily had amnesia. Sirius was alone. Skeeter's problem could be fixed with some bandage and a salve, but nothing would replenish the hole that was in Sirius' heart. He had lost his brother. His sister was out cold from some weird medication the muggle healer had given her and Harry had absolutely no idea what was happening.

Grunting gruffly, he transfigured a piece of splintered wood into a box. With a wave of his wand, family pictures started floating into the box, followed by Lily's precious collection of glass figures and her designer candles. Closing that box, he transfigured another one and summoned the china tea sets and plates. It went like that, until the living room was bare and empty. He had spelled all the furniture into the Potter family vault, where they belonged. James and Lily hadn't gone furniture shopping. They had perfectly good ones in the family vault and had used them. Thankfully, they hadn't been destroyed in the long run.

Sirius stepped into the kitchen. The lights were still on and Lily's voice reverberated in his head.

 _"Sirius Black! How many times do I have to tell you to turn off the lights when you come out of a room?"_

His heart ached as he levitated kitchen utensils into a box. Then he went to the fridge an opened the door. Instantly, cool air hit his heavy robes. He nearly burst out crying at Lily's signature treacle tart. She loved baking and had taken classes before she, James and Harry went into hiding. Her cakes were absolute heaven. On a glass plate, there stood a single remaining piece of tart. He remembered how James hogged them and almost called out to his deceased best friend that this time, he was the one who got the last one.

Shakily, he took the plate out and put it on the counter. He save the last one for Harry.

He ascended the stairs and stepped into the master bedroom. Lily had lovingly decorated it with cream and blue colors, despite James' protestations for red and gold. The carpet was as soft as ever, the bed neatly made and the polished wood of the dresser and commode looking as if Harry hadn't rammed into it with his toy broomstick just a week ago.

With a wave of his wand, clothes belonging to both James and Lily floated out of their respective places and into a box Sirius had waiting. He then took some other framed photos from the bedside tables. But he found something else too. Laying side by side, James' mahogany wand and Lily's willow one were just next to the antique lamp.

He thanked his good fortunes he'd cast the wards. Merlin knew what clamoring fans would've done to the two precious objects! Pocketing them, reverently caressing James' wand before he did so, Sirius winced as he entered the nursery. Not wanting to be there longer than necessary, he packed Harry's toys, clothes, books and other relevant baby objects. With that, he descended the stairs and went out of the home. Without bothering to dismantle the wards and happily ignoring the reporters, he apparated away.

He had a sister to get to, and a godson to care for!

* * *

Remus Lupin massaged his temple as he walked into his kitchen. He'd gone to bed early last night, having just come back from the werewolf packs in Portugal. His copy of the Daily Prophet was waiting for him on the breakfast table and he ignored, instead opting to start making himself some coffee and scrambled eggs, that had turned out to be the only thing he ate for breakfast after he graduated Hogwarts.

He still missed the grandiose feasts, with every single thing you could imagine on the table, ready for consumption. Now he understood why James and Sirius always made a big deal out of it. With the memory of feasts, Remus remembered James' multiple attempts at serenading Lily before they started dating. The redheaded muggleborn had hated his guts. It was a miracle she had even agreed to give him a chance!

Chuckling fondly, Remus finished making his eggs and the coffee brew, having already awoken his senses, made him cheerfuller than he normally was. Living with a pack of werewolves nearly always meant eating raw meat for breakfast, lunch and dinner. They had no such thing as differentiating between meals. For them, eating was a necessity. For someone like Remus, half-human half-werewolf, eating was both an enjoyable pastime, and a time he could get to catch up with his friends.

The werewolves simply tore their prey apart, disregarding the spilling blood that disgusted Remus' every sense, ate whatever they could and went back off to their hunting.

Living with them was tough, but it gave Remus courage. He could see how different he was from the others now. At least now he could justify why Sirius and James didn't find him dangerous and disgusting. He found no pleasure in killing and hunting. He adored animals and he could barely stop himself from wincing whenever the pack brought in new hare, deer or hounds for consumption.

Life was turning out better than he thought.

It was smiling Remus that finished his eggs and moved on to his coffee. Only then, did he remember his abandoned Daily Prophet. Cheerfully, he picked the newspaper up, and what an inopportune moment he did it too. At the headlines, his brain just stopped working. He spat out his coffee at the picture, which was of the ruins of the residence of James, Lily and Harry Potter.

He could barely comprehend what he was reading as fright took over him. Had they been found? What had happened? What was going on?

 _ **THE DARK LORD GONE: ALL HAIL THE BOY WHO LIVED; ALL HAIL THE WOMAN WHO LIVED!**_

 ** _Report by: Barnabas Cuffe_**

 _Last night, while we were all enjoying dinner with our families and listening to Celestina Warbeck on the radio, another family was doing a wholly different thing. The patriarch was fighting for his and his family's lives, bravely taking on one of the darkest wizards of our age. The matriarch was upstairs, protecting her son and the last resident, a baby, was in his crib, cooing and unaware of the dangerous situation awaiting him._

 _After killing James Potter, a man who most assuredly will be remembered with the fondest of_ _memories from his former schoolmates and Auror coworkers, He Who Must Not Be Named moved on upstairs for his next kill. That's where it started going all wrong, though, says Sirius Black, a close friend of the Potter's._

 _He was sighted in Diagon Alley last night, looking rather pale. He reluctantly divulged the information he had with us._

 _"I felt rather off about this whole day and at around 7:30, I was just so twitchy that I had to go check on Peter. I saw he wasn't there. He was supposed to be in hiding, as he was James and Lily's secret keeper. They changed to him last minute, you see. I was the decoy. But anyway, as I saw that there was no evidence of a struggle, with all security wards safely in place, I just knew something was wrong. I had to go check on them. But I arrived too late. James was just laying there on their living room floor, his eyes lifeless. I felt like a part of me had died. But then I heard crying. Harry was alive. That just kept repeating in my head. I was so relieved when I saw him, I almost cried. But then, I saw Lily stirring. All I can say now, is that they're both alive and fine."_

 _So it was either Mrs. Lily Potter who defeated the Dark Lord, or her son. Either way, we are indebted to them and will forever be. Thanks to the Potter's, we are once again safe!_

Remus dropped the newspaper and practically hurtled down the hallway, barely managing to grab his coat before exiting his house. He had to find Sirius and get the truth out of him. If what the Daily Prophet said was to be believed, it was Peter who'd sold James and Lily out, not Sirius. Oh how Remus desperately wanted to believe it.


	3. A Little Problem

She shifted awkwardly under the weight of the baby she was holding. The child was hungrily lapping up the last of the applesauce in his bowl, his chubby hands clenching the plastic spoon. His emerald eyes sparkled with alight mischief. They were beautiful, she thought. They were also her eyes, the man who'd brought her here had said.

His name was Harry. Harry James Potter, son of Lily and James Potter. He had unruly black hair, emerald green eyes and his most distinctive feature was an angry red scar on his forehead. Her left palm burned as she thought about it. She had a similar scar, resembling a lightning bolt on her left hand, though she had no idea where she got it.

It appeared that she had contracted amnesia. She had no memory of who she was, and what kind of life she'd led on. By the small bits and pieces she'd gathered from the man, Sirius, she was a witch. At first, the very thought had seemed ridiculous. What kind of loon would believe in magic? But then he'd showed her his wand, performed a spell with it and proceeded to fill her in about the magical world. It all seemed so exciting, she was sad she'd forgotten all about it.

He'd taken her and Harry to a doctor, and he said that the chance that she'd regain her memory was 40 to 60%. But she was hopeful. Hopeful that one day, she'd remember the life she had and what she'd lost. As she caressed her sons hair, she played her name in her mind. _Lily Anne Potter_. Or as known before her marriage, _Lily Anne Evans_.

She twisted her wedding ring in her finger, examining it with poorly disguised awe. It was an emerald ring, the exact shade of her eyes, with two pear shaped diamonds set in a platinum mount. On the inside of the band was engraved: _'Snitch'_. She didn't understand. What did snitch mean? What was it? Was it something special? She was confused.

Licking her lips, Lily lifted Harry from his chair and set him on the ground. While she washed up, she watched as the boy toddled over to where a scarlet red steam engine was laying on the ground. Somehow, it seemed familiar, but Lily couldn't place it. All she knew was that it had played a significant part in her life. She was distracted from her thoughts by the cute childish words Harry spewed out.

"Mama no play with Harry?" the boy asked quizzically.

She smiled at him and walked over, bending at the knees to watch what he was doing. He was setting up a makeshift train track for the engine and he'd asked her for help.

"Of course I'll play with you, Harry."

"Prongslet."

"What?" Lily asked, confused as she crossed her legs and sat down.

"Prongslet." Harry insisted.

"Oh. You want me to call you Prongslet?" Lily realized, as she picked up a piece of the train track.

"Dada call Harry, Prongslet. Mama call Harry, Prongslet. Mooey call Harry, cub. Pa'foo call Harry, pup." the boy explained.

"Ah. Of course, Prongslet." Lily nodded agreeably, humoring the child.

She helped Harry connect his train track, albeit getting a bit confused when he asked her to make the train move. Couldn't he use his hands? Surely he wasn't spoiled? Lily knew she would never spoil a child of hers, even with the amnesia. But she got even more confused when Harry shook his head in frustration, waving his hands about.

Suddenly, the sound of a door opening distracted them both and in stepped the man from before, Sirius Black.

"How are my two favorite people?" he beamed, lazily flicking his wand as he directed multiple cardboard boxes into the living room.

"Pa'foo!" Harry squealed, completely forgetting about the train he and Lily had spent over an hour, fixing its tracks.

Lily smiled hesitantly as Sirius picked up Harry, swinging him around, eliciting giggles from the one year old. Then, the 20 year old man turned his eyes on to her, his expression slightly less carefree.

"How are you, Lily?" he asked cautiously.

"I'm fine, I suppose. It's a bit hard, dealing with a world I have no clue about. I just wish I could remember something." she replied, slightly frustrated.

Sirius sighed and raked a hand in his hair.

"It must be hard. But, you know ... I'll ... we'll help you regain your memories. Harry and I, I mean." he told her.

She smiled softly, "James must've been a wonderful man."

He stiffened slightly, then put Harry on the ground.

"He was the best. Arrogant with an inflated ego, but he was the best friend a man could wish for. Loyal until the very end. He would die for his friends and family, as was displayed last night. He fought for seven years to get you to go on a date with him, you know." he chuckled fondly.

Lily shifted on the floor, examining her nails.

"I wish I could remember him." she whispered.

"You do, only it's locked in a part of your brain that's hard to access. Or at least, that's what the muggle healer said." the handsome marauder looked confused.

"I'm sure it is." Lily grinned up at him.

Sirius cheered up at her smile.

"I went to your house and picked up a few things. I managed to gather up some clothes and I nicked yours, and James' wand too." he gestured to the boxes.

Lily perked up.

"Can I see my wand?" she asked curiously.

"Of course." he scoffed, taking out the willow wand from his pocket, only pausing to finger the mahogany wand that once belonged to his brother in all but blood.

He handed her the piece of polished wood and upon touching it, a wave of magic fluctuated from the wand, a reaction only the wand and the owned would have. Lily watched with awe as a reddish yellow hue took over her, a warm feeling passing over her being as magic reunited with its connector.

"Amazing." she breathed.

"Wands are sentient, according to Ollivander. It can sense that your life was in danger and it's relieved to be reuniting with your magic." he explained.

Lily nodded, flipping the wand in her hand and feeling its every curve. Breathlessly, she looked up at Sirius, who was watching her.

"Teach me a spell."

"What?" he asked taken aback.

"A spell. I want to learn a spell."

"Ah, well ... alright." Sirius fiddled with his own wand.

His eyes roamed around the room, before settling on a broken vase on the coffee table.

"Right. Point your wand at that vase and wave your wand like this ...," he paused to show her the wand movement, " ... and say _Reparo_!"

Lily copied his movement, before uttering the spell and promptly fixing the vase. In awe, she looked at the vase, which was as good as new.

"And there you have it. Magic!" Sirius beamed, extending his hand with a flourish.

Lily giggled and stood up.

"Thank you."

"You are very welcome, Lily flower." he bounced happily, like an unruly child.

The rest of the day was spent in perfect peace and harmony, with Harry playing with his train on the ground, Lily unpacking boxes and Sirius recounting stories of their school days. Before they knew it, it was evening. Dinner was chicken pot pie with mashed potatoes. With some help from a book, Lily boiled a chicken thigh, promptly mincing it and designing it with green beans for Harry. Just as they were settling down, the doorbell started ringing crazy.

Brandishing his wand, Sirius looked in the peephole. His face relaxed slightly, but still, he didn't open the door.

"I'm called Padfoot ... why?"

"Because your animagus form is a dog. Now let me in, dammit!" a frustrated voice resounded from outside.

Finally, Sirius opened the door and was accosted by a pale, sandy haired man with scars, old and new on his face. He looked well worn, his brown, leather jacket patched and looking as though it had been worn for a few years at least.

"Bloody hell Padfoot, you never do anything by halves, do you?" the man growled, giving Sirius a one armed hug.

"What else do you expect, Moony? Prongs and Lils were attacked just over 24 hours ago. You seriously can't be telling me to let my guard down?" Sirius raised his eyebrows, leaving out the fact that one of their best friends had just been killed.

"No, no I don't," he sighed, then looked at the dog animagus desperately, "Please tell me it's not true, that he isn't dead. James can't be ... he just can't!"

Sirius muttered something gruffly, which Remus apparently understood.

"Merlin dammit, how could the slimy rat do that to us?!" he exclaimed, raking his hand through his hair.

"That's the question I've been asking myself for 2 days now. Lily and Harry are the only things that've stopped me from chasing him and killing him on the spot." he groaned.

Remus brightened up.

"Lily ... yes. Of course. How is she? And Harry? Are they both okay? Can I see them?"

"Actually, Moony ... we've got a bit of a problem ..." Sirius trailed off awkwardly, turning to look at Lily, who in turn was gazing at them curiously.


	4. Of Malfoy's and Trials

_Dear Lily,_

 _It must be very traumatic to go through the process of losing the one you love most. Remember when we were in our third year and we talked about our perfect lives? How you said you would have two children; a girl and a boy, and how you'll marry only for love, no matter under what conditions? Don't you think we were naive, back then?_

 _But then again, His Royal Snakiness hadn't made that much of an appearance and we thought stuff like a house burning down was a fluke; that someone left the stove on or cast a stray 'incendio'._

 _I feel so guilty for mocking Sirius now. Do you remember how he was raving at the dinner table, at how his crazy cousin Bellatrix was involved and he knew there was a Dark Lord somewhere out there? Who knew our resident playboy would turn out to be smarter than the both of us combined!_

 _If I know you, and I know that I do, you're probably blaming yourself for James' death. Please don't. He'll surely want you to go on with your life and raise your son properly, like you would've if he'd been alive. I know it must be hard on you. Believe me, I do. I lost my mum and dad in sixth year; remember?_

 _Anyway. If you want something, I'm just an owl away._

 _\- Alice Longbottom_

* * *

Putting the letter away with a frown on her face, Lily Potter searched around her brain for some speck of recognition.

Sirius had said Alice had been her best friend at Hogwarts, and if she contacted her for help, the process of returning her memories would go on faster. But Lily wasn't comfortable with that. She didn't like the sound of hearing her life story from someone whom she thought to be a complete stranger. And if what the doctor said was to be taken seriously, she had a slim chance of recovering anything from her past life.

No one but Sirius and Remus could know, of course. Not even Harry. The little boy was already puzzled as to why his mother didn't read bedtime stories for him anymore or didn't enchant the dragons to fly around. Lily had started her lessons with Sirius, but the poor man didn't have all that much time. Most days, he would come back from the Ministry, eat dinner and pass out on the couch, watching TV.

There was also the matter of his trial too. The Ministry had scheduled it to be for 1:30pm, today. Sirius had been a bundle of nerves, and to help him to calm down, Lily had suggested going outside. She didn't know he'd take it as an invitation to visit Diagon Alley with Harry and herself. According to him, people would flock at their feet and worship them, but they would have to get used to it. Lily would've agreed, had it not been for the fact that she'd contracted a nasty bout of stomach flu last night. Still, she didn't want to discourage Sirius, who'd been so kind to her, and had agreed for a shopping trip to the wizarding district.

Her left hand throbbed as she watched her son zoom around the room on his toy broomstick, laughing in a most carefree manner. Looking at the lightning bolt shaped on her hand, Lily winced as it started bleeding. It had been like that since she remembered getting it and the scar would start bleeding at random intervals during the day. It had happened to Harry too, but only once or twice.

Sighing, she got up from her stool situated in the kitchen and walked to the sink to wash off the blood. She watched as the crimson liquid flowed down from her hand, into the drain. Finally, after she was certain her hand was clean and that it had finished its bleeding for the day, Lily shut the water tap and snatched up two bandaids from the counter. Carefully placing the two bandaids over the scar, Lily dried her hand and headed into the living room.

Harry was sitting on the ground, his broom next to him. He was gazing curiously at a Hungarian Horntail dragon figurine, who roared at him angrily. However, it only seemed to elicit humor from Harry, who was only looking for a bit of fun. Smiling softly, she sat down next to him and picked up a Welsh Green, pretending to attack the Horntail. Harry screamed happily and roared along with his dragon, clenching his chubby fist around its red and orange scaly neck and proceeding to attack his dragon-wielding mother.

That was the scene Sirius Black encountered when he descended the stairs. Smiling widely, he approached the two.

"Ah, my two favorite people." he beamed, as he scooped his godson into his arms.

Harry giggled wildly and Lily put down the dragons.

"Hey Lils, how are you doing?" he inquired.

"I'm just fine Sirius, though I think I should be the one to ask you that." Lily's lips twitched.

Sirius smiled ruefully, "It's a good day. Hopefully it'll end just as good."

"Hopefully." Lily agreed.

"Are you all ready? We can postpone it if you want? If you're not ready to face the crowds, I mean ..."

"No, it's alright. We'll have to do this at some point. Better sooner than later." Lily cut him off.

"Alright." Sirius nodded reluctantly.

Brushing a strand of red hair from her eyes, Lily traipsed upstairs to change clothes. Hopefully, this wouldn't go all awry and everything would be fine. Or was that too much to hope for?

* * *

Diagon Alley was noisier than Sirius had ever seen it, even from before the looming threat that had been Voldemort. Having dropped Harry at Remus', Sirius was confident that if people did accost Lily, she wouldn't have to deal with a baby while she tried to deflect questions. The fresh expression of awe on the 21 year old woman's face elicited a pang in Sirius' heart. He remembered the same expression on an 11 year old Lily's face as she dragged her mother and father in and out of shops, begging them to buy her stuff she didn't actually need.

Sirius had been estranged from children his own age before Hogwarts, and Regulus had been his only playmate. It was safe to say that for an 11 year old boy, playing hide and seek with your younger brother got boring after a bit. When he looked at the energetic, muggleborn Lily Evans and her accepting, laughing parents, a hidden longevity had sparked up. Since then, even after Lily called both him and James arrogant fools, he had taken to observing her. He wanted to see just how a normal girl, without the restraints of social behavior on her would behave.

As a result, he knew much more about her than either she or James would've guessed. He knew her favorite color was blue, that she absolutely detested being underestimated and was annoyed at the fact that her hair made it hard for her to blend in with crowds. He knew she liked drinking mint tea, that she was secretly very insecure about herself and that she would've liked nothing more than to be accepted within wizarding crowds. She knew her parentage made that hard for her, but she refused to be ashamed. He knew about her sister Petunia, how the older squib girl called her a 'freak' and a deeply built in rage would ignite in his chest at the girl who'd dared to insult Lily, who'd had the gall to think she was superior to witches and wizards; because whoever said his parents didn't have an affect on Sirius Black?

Now, as he gazed at the same woman, who had no idea of who she was, he could feel his heart literally break into pieces. He felt pity for the woman he considered a sister, but most of all, anger and rage at the bastard that had tried to kill her. As he watched her eyes widen at the displays of magic, at the infomercials about Quidditch teams floating in the air in 'Quality Quidditch Supplies', he knew he had to protect her, to somehow enable her to regain her memories. He would do that, because it would be a snowball in hell if Sirius Black let his sister suffer.

* * *

Lily goggled at everything. Literally everything. She felt like she was in a fantasy movie and a childish part of her was terrified that none of this was real. As she approached the bookstore, she couldn't help but gape at the book titles.

 _'Charms for Dummies'_

 _'The Beginners Guide to Defense Against the Dark Arts'_

 _'Hogwarts: A History'_

Those were just a few of them. She automatically gravitated towards the third book, though. As she picked up the leather-bound tome, she heard Sirius snort behind her. Turning around, she looked at him quizzically.

"Should've known you would've picked that one up, Lils. Of course, you'd already read from cover to cover before ... the incident." he trailed off uncertainly.

"I don't know, I just felt a sort of automatic gravitation towards it." Lily shook her head, confused.

"Maybe it's your deep connection to Hogwarts and the magical world that you're feeling!" Sirius exclaimed excitedly.

Lily opened her mouth to say something, but was nearly blinded by a flash right in front of her face. Blinking a few times to clear the white spots from her eyes, she was faced with a garishly dressed woman, her blonde curls bobbing up and down as she fluttered about, an acid green quill and a notebook hovering behind her.

"Oh my! It's Lily Potter!" she gasped dramatically.

Sirius moved towards Lily protectively, his eyes narrowing on the woman.

"That's Rita Skeeter, probably the most annoying and persistent reporter I have ever had the misfortune to meet. Ignore whatever she asks you." he murmured.

Lily nodded, storing information for later. But then she noticed that the shop had gone eerily quiet. Glancing around nervously, she gripped Sirius' shoulder tightly. The little movement seemed to slam people into action, as the shop burst into a flurry of excitement and noise.

"Merlin's pants! What an honor this is! I have Lily Potter in my shop! Do you see this, people? Lily Potter buys books in my store!" the store owner gasped.

Lily was terrified out of her wits as she shook hands with about a million people, before the annoying reporter, Rita, as Sirius had called her, brushed everyone away.

"My dear Lily, this must be overwhelming for you, I understand. Can you tell us about how you're feeling?" Rita asked eagerly.

"Mrs. Skeeter, I ..." Lily fluttered around helplessly.

"Oh! She knows my name!" Rita squealed.

"If you don't mind, Mrs. Skeeter, Lily and I have a busy day ahead of us and we want to get our tasks completed before noon." Sirius' sharp voice cut in, dragging Lily away before Skeeter could say anything.

He apparated her to the edges of Knockturn Alley, where no one would expect them to be.

"I'm sorry, Lily. I didn't expect it to be so bad." he said apologetically.

"It's alright, Sirius. You mean't well." Lily countered, still a bit breathless.

Sirius opened his mouth, but a blonde blur shoved him straight into the wall as he hurtled into the depths of Knockturn Alley. Annoyed, Sirius straightened himself. He was about to shout at the man, before he recognized his retreating back.

"Lucius Malfoy," he murmured, "Now, whatever is old Lucy doing here?"

"Who's Lucius Malfoy?" Lily asked curiously.

Sirius turned to face her sharply.

"Malfoy was one of Voldemort's main commanders before you vanquished him. He's one of Voldemort's most dangerous followers, and someone we call a 'Death Eater'. His trial was yesterday. He managed to convince the judges, with a fair bit of bribing I'm sure, that he was under the Imperius curse. That's a curse that controls a persons mind and forces them to do something they don't want to, by the way."

Lily nodded and Sirius looked at his watch. Cursing softly, he looked at Lily.

"I'll have to take you home. My trial starts in 15 minutes and I can't be late."

"Alright." Lily nodded.

Grabbing her hand, he apparated Lily to the house.

"I'll be back in an hour or two, hopefully with good news." Sirius said grimly.

"Good luck. I'm sure you'll do fine." Lily assured him.

And with those parting words, Sirius went to face his fate.


	5. Padfoot Out

_**AN: Today is the 35th anniversary of James and Lily Potter's death. I was going to post this chapter on Saturday, but then I looked at the date and I thought 'why the heck not'. So here it is. It isn't much; only Sirius' trial and a small update on how Lily's feeling, but I hope you like it.**_

 _ **Cheers!**_

 _ **\- Mel**_

* * *

"Esteemed members of the Wizengamot; we are here to witness the trial of one, Sirius Orion Black. Reported by a Mr. Peter Pettigrew on the eve of Halloween for betraying their close friends, Lily and James Potter and for later on, blowing up a street in London, therefore killing 12 muggles, along with Mr. Pettigrew."

Sirius Black was led into the middle of the courtroom, where he was promptly put in a chair with shackles. Minister Bagnold looked up reluctantly and pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Per the Pureblood Act: Clause 3, the Ministry is not allowed to shackle up an heir of an Ancient and Noble House without explicit evidence of their guilt." she explained her actions.

There was some murmuring around the courtroom. Albus Dumbledore promptly banged his gavel on the desk, bringing himself to the attention of the Minister.

"But surely, my dear Minister, we can make an exception ..." he put on his best grandfatherly voice.

"The law is law, Chief Warlock," Bagnold said sharply, "Continuing with our proceedings, Heir Black is allowed to have a defense wizard or witch, movement strategist and protection guard of their choice." she continued, looking at Sirius expectantly.

"I choose Cassiopeia Virgo Black as my defense witch, Remus Jonathan Lupin as my movement strategist and Edward Theodore Tonks as my protection guard." Sirius' sharp voice rang across the silent chamber.

As Bagnold jotted that down in Sirius' form, an elegant, middle aged witch, a worn out but strong looking wizard with sandy blonde hair and a man wearing a simple black cloak with his mousy brown hair sleek and perfect stepped inside the courtroom in rapid procession. The first witch was indeed Cassiopeia Black who was rarely seen in wizarding Britain. It was rumored she operated her household from France and held a lot of influence over the French Minister.

Cassiopeia was wearing silk black robes with silver lining at the sleeve edges. On the top left, just above her breast, there was a bow and an arrow placed at the throat of an intimidating looking snake. Embroidered at the bottom of what was her family crest, was written: 'Toujours Purs'. She was wearing a silver wedding band with emeralds and diamonds around it, and she was wearing similar emerald earrings.

Like most immediate members of the Black family, including Sirius, Cassiopeia had a sharp jawline, stormy grey eyes and an angular face shape that gave her an aristocratic look. She was the epitome of a pureblood witch, and Sirius' great aunt. The younger Black's choosing her certainly caused a stir amongst the members, most of whom had been previously blackmailed by the pureblood witch and whom they truly feared.

The next person, Remus Lupin wasn't an unexpected choice, but was surprising. As Remus had been friends with Peter and James, most had expected he would take Peter's side, because Sirius Black allegedly sold the Potter's out to the Dark Lord.

Remus was wearing secondhand maroon colored robes, leather boots and a simple engagement ring on his hand. He had been engaged to Dorcas Meadowes, but the woman had died just weeks before the attack on the Potter house and Remus still refused to let go. But today, there wasn't any grief on his face. Rather a solid determination that emphasized the scars on his face. With his get up and look, he resembled a Ministry auror.

Remus was best known for his father, Lyall Lupin who had previously worked at the Ministry in the Department of Control and Regulation of Animals. Little known fact: it was because of his father insulting vicious werewolf Fenrir Greyback that now, Remus suffered the way he did.

The protection guard was Edward Tonks, more commonly known as Ted to his friends and colleagues. He was a muggleborn Ministry auror and that served as a reminder to the members of the Wizengamot that while he was a Black, Sirius wasn't the typical pureblood.

Ted was wearing normal quality black robes with polished leather shoes that looked as if they'd been bought at a muggle store. His mousy brown hair, coated with layers upon layers of Sleakeazy's Deluxe Straightening Potion, looked soft and sleek, shining in the candlelight of the chamber. His blue eyes sparkled with the same determination that Remus' eyes had held.

Ted though, was famous for being the first ever muggleborn to be brought into union with the Black family. He had married, more aptly ran away with Andromeda Black upon their graduation. It was widely known that Andromeda had been burst out of the family tree after that scandal. That was a feat no one had been able to achieve since Marius Black, who was blasted out of the family for his status as a squib.

These three people had been carefully chosen by Sirius' own hands and unknown to all, with a little help from Lily Potter. Though having amnesia, Lily was still a great judge of character and after thoroughly learning of all suitable candidates, had helped Sirius choose.

Everyone watched carefully as the witch and two wizards all moved and stood behind Sirius, with Cassiopeia insisting on occupying the place behind Sirius' chair.

"Very well, now we shall begin the trial." Bagnold announced.

Everyone straightened up. Sirius shuffled; Cassiopeia readied her notebook and quick quotes quill (a good one, not one of those rubbish quality stuff dirty reporters use, or so Cassiopeia says); Remus inched closer towards Sirius and Ted's hand twitched towards his wand.

"On this day, 4th of November 1981, we will put Sirius Orion Black, Heir to the Ancient and Most Noble House of Black under trial. Under the consultancy of our fellow Wizengamot members, we thereby ask Lord Orion Arcturus Black to sit out this trial in order to prevent bias." Bagnold cleared her throat.

Orion Black looked outraged, but one look from Cassiopeia and he had already agreed. Seeing his agreement, Bagnold moved on.

"Sirius Black, you have been accused of the following charges: revealing the carefully guarded secret of James and Lily Potter's location to You Know Who, blowing up a street in muggle London, arranging the assassination of one Peter Pettigrew and 12 muggles, secreting, possible kidnapping a vulnerable Lily Potter and her son, Harry James Potter. How do you plead?"

"Not guilty." Sirius said strongly, looking as if he'd rather do nothing but run over to Bagnold and clobber her.

"Very well. Do you consent to the use of veritaserum?" the Minister asked skeptically.

"Excuse me Madame Minister, but my client is already under the _'familia regis'_." Cassiopeia interjected.

"Indeed? Are you willing to swear on that, Lady Black?" Bagnold raised her eyebrows.

"I, Cassiopeia Virgo Black, High Lady Black, do hereby swear on my magic that my nephew, Sirius Orion Black is under the truth spell, familia regis. So I have sworn it, so mote it be." she intoned clearly.

A golden glow surrounded her for a few brief seconds, before dissipating into the air.

"Lumos!" she then cried, her hand lighting up with a ball of light.

Looking clearly satisfied with the results, Bagnold turned back to her file, noting down something in it.

"Since you have already been put under the family specific truth ritual, you will only respond to family members. I now ask Lady Black to write down her questions and hand them over to the Wizengamot body for approval." Bagnold stated.

"Begging your pardon Minister, but I've already prepared the questions." Cassiopeia said smoothly, gliding over to the podium where Bagnold stood.

Bagnold looked on in disbelief as the Black High Lady handed her a piece of parchment. On it, 20 questions were written in elegant calligraphy. Bagnold, seeing Orion Black's smug look, already knew this was bad news. As she read over the questions, she had to admire Black's slyness for electing his great aunt as his defense witch. Cassiopeia Black incredibly educated around the Wizengamot and had once presided over it, during the period her brother, Lord Arcturus Black had been sick. Her questions were unbelievably accurate and left no space for doubt. Bagnold discussed it over with the Wizengamot (Dumbledore looked incredibly angry at being outsmarted) and saw that she had no choice but to approve the questions. And so it started.

Cassiopeia cleared her throat smugly at the sign of approval from the Minister and turned to face her great nephew.

"Heir Black, have you been involved in any illicit activities such as killing, torturing or massacring?"

Sirius' eyes glazed over, result of the spell taking effect.

"No, I have not."

"Did you, or did you not betray the Potter's to the Dark Lord?"

"No, I would never."

"Have you ever believed in pureblood supremacy?"

"Yes, a brief period when I was a child."

"Why did you stop believing in it?"

"I happened across a few muggle children in a park adjacent to our family home and spent the afternoon with them, under the delusions that they were also wizards. At the end of the day, when I was informed I had been associating with muggles, I was shocked and slightly confused. I had been taught to believe pureblood's were supreme, that they presided over nonmagical people and that muggles and anyone associating with them were filth. I was told that muggles are cruel, that they betray their brotherhood in order to earn glory. That was not the sort of people I saw in those children. I stopped believing after that."

"Have you ever had ill intent towards anybody?"

"I wouldn't say ill intent. I may've executed some pranks at school, but they were meant only for fun and not harmful purposes. There were very few times I put people in danger, but I never did it on purpose."

And it when on. Cassiopeia questioned Sirius and he answered accordingly. At the end of the trial, the Wizengamot was shocked into stupor. One white haired wizard was thinking about how to make it up to the young man sitting on trial, and how to get him to give up Lily and Harry's location. While he wondered how to do that, Cassiopeia cast the counter to the spell and Sirius, looking a bit dazed, shook his head and his eyes cleared.

"All in favor of declaring Sirius Black innocent?" Bagnold asked.

Nearly all the hands rose up.

"All in favor of imprisoning said man?" she asked again.

Two people, one pink clothed woman and a man with a lime green bowler hat on his head, rose their hands.

"Not guilty." Bagnold finally declared.

Sirius breathed a sigh of relief, Remus' muscles released and Ted loosened the grip on his wand. Cassiopeia smirked and sent a pointed look at Orion, who descended the stairs.

"Congratulations, Sirius." he said formally, extending his hand to his eldest son.

"Thank you, father." Sirius nodded and shook his father's hand.

Then Sirius turned and smiled at Ted and Remus. Cassiopeia cleared her throat. Sirius immediately turned to face her.

"Thanks Aunt Cassie. I couldn't have done it without you." he said thankfully.

"No, no you couldn't have." Cassiopeia agreed smugly.

* * *

By nightfall, everyone had gotten the special edition of the _'Evening Prophet'_. The editor, Barnabas Cuffe had managed to get insider information from inside the courtroom and had written the questions asked of Sirius, and his answers. For once, the Daily Prophet needn't lie to get people to read their rag of a newspaper.

At 9:00pm, Sirius had already eaten dinner and was snoozing comfortably in his bed. It had been more than 24 hours since he'd slept before the trial, having stayed up to cooperate with Remus, Ted and his Aunt Cassiopeia to strategize his trial, detail by detail.

Lily was sitting in the kitchen, pushing around the leftover of the dinner on her plate. Today hadn't been anymore progressive. Since she'd returned from Diagon Alley, she had read a few chapters of her new book, Hogwarts: A History and played around with Harry. She had practiced some basic spells she remembered from one of Sirius' lessons and had made dinner.

Inadequacy filled inside her and Lily whimpered, pushing away her plate of food. She couldn't stop the tears streaming down her eyes. She was a 20 year old woman, yet she couldn't remember a single detail of her previous life. She had flipped through albums, listened to Sirius' stories of their school days and had visited a private Mind Healer, but to no avail. The healer said she had to wait it out.

Would she ever heal, or would she stay the same? Amnesiac and inadequate?


End file.
